After Effects
by ILikeHurtingSteveALot
Summary: Steve copes with loss. Tony doesn't deal with his problems. Thor is lost. (Story is better than the summary) (INFINITY WAR SPOILERS)
1. Chapter 1

He had been lead down the hallway by a silent Okoye, her eyes glassy as she struggled with the fact that she had failed her king. With a bow she showed him his room, as she turned Steve reached out, he had no clue what he was doing. His gloved hand gently tapped her shoulder, she stiffened. Then, his voice a mere croak from his screams, whispered: "I know how you feel." She was gone in a second.

Steve turned to his room, tears brimming in his eyes and reached for the door knob with trembling hands. This had been Buck's room, everything was a step down from the technology in Wakanda, so he could adjust. A shake ripped through Steve's body as he stepped into the room. It was undecorated, except for one picture of Howard, Bucky, Steve, Peggy, and the rest of the Howling Commandos. Steve broke.

His hand flew to his mouth as he tried to stifle the cry of pain that slipped past his lips. He collapsed on the bed, sobs causing his body to shudder, jolting the broken ribs on his left side. Blood dripped down from the cut across his temple, staining his hand. The sobs kept coming.

" _Steve...?" Buck's voice was filled with fear, so much fear. Steve turned as Bucky's hazel blue eyes met his, and then Buck was gone, a pile of ashes floated to the ground, gently brushing the grass._

"Captain?" Thor's voice rumbled like thunder as he called for him.

"You shouldn't see me like this," Steve's voice was scratchy like a broken record. Thor was sitting next to him, wrapping his arms around Steve's trembling body.

"I too have lost a brother. Relax, Captain, accept my help." Steve sobbed, his body shaking, and at some point, Thor was crying as well. The two shattered, the world a spinning circle of pain.

Someone was shouting. That was the first thing Thor registered. Second, he registered that the voice was Stark's. The third was that Steven was unconscious in his arms.

"I swear to God, or gods, or whatever, if you don't let me in there right now—"

"Mr. Stark, if you don't leave right now I will contact Okoye." Thor got up. He strode across the room and opened the door. Thor had heard of the "fallout" between the Captain and Stark, but he was done with dancing around it.

"Either come in now, Stark, or leave now." Stark looked up, eyes wide. Then he shook his head and turned to follow Thor. Thor heard the slight gasp as Stark got a good look at Steve. Stark lowered himself next to the Captain, looking surprisingly old.

Tony was desperate. He felt an anguish that enveloped his soul.

" _I don't wanna go," Peter pleaded. "I don't wanna—_

Tony turned and stared at Rogers' unconscious body. Then, Tony reached out and hit Rogers powerfully on his left side. Rogers sat up with a scream, a painful scream, tumbling off of the bed and collapsing onto the floor. Everything else was a blur. Shuri rushed in with a stretcher, Thor was moving him out of the room.

" _Mr. Stark, please, I don't wanna go—"_

"Stark!" Tony looked up. "You need—"

"I'm fine," Tony said, his voice shaky. Thor awkwardly leaned forward, Tony slid back. "I'm not a hugger." Tony shot Thor a harsh look. Thor nodded.

"Sometimes we need someone to talk to." Tony looked at Thor, really looked at him. Thor looked exhausted, a deep ache, and he had an—

"Patchy Pirate! How did I not notice that earlier!" Thor laughed, a low rumble, as he through his head back. Then the laugh died and Thor was staring at him in worry. "How's the old man?" Tony said, hoping to avoid the topic about, well, him. Thor looked down.

"The Captain is struggling with trauma. He had to watch as Sargent Barnes vanished. The last time he saw his friend as himself was when he plummeted off a train, so watching the Sargent die again was very traumatic."

"His injury?" Tony whispered.

"His bones healed in the wrong position, they had to break them again to place them in the right position." Tony lowered his head.

" _I don't wanna—"_

Tony got up.

"Is he out of surgery?"

"Yes," Thor said softly. Tony paused at the tone.

"I'm going." Tony walked along the hallways, when he got to the hospital room, he paused.

" _...together."_

" _Language."_

" _You're saying it's our fault?"_

" _I have to go."_

"So much for avoiding you Cap." Tony walked in, and Rogers was trying to get up. "Woah, Old Man, don't want to lengthen your recovery!"

Rogers looked up in pure fear. He started to fumble, reaching for the shield leaning against the bed. Tony stopped, looking away.

"I'm sorry," Rogers croaked, "but I had to protect Buck."

"Stop."

"He didn't know, he didn't—"

"Stop!"

"He is, was, lost! He—"

"STOP!" Tony roared. Rogers flinched. "We aren't talking about this now."

"Yes, we are," Rogers murmured. God, Tony hated how right Steve was.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Two things:

First:

I shall refer to myself as A since ILikeHurtingSteveALot is really long

Second:

Do you want me to continue with this cause I have two ideas for it.

Three (I lied I have three things to say):

Please check out my new multi-chapter story Pain of the Past, it will set up the backstory of my OC who will exist in an AU I have been creating in my head where Civil War never happens. Please check out.

Four (I'm such a liar!):

Please review and I will take suggestions, also, I do art, so if you want to see art of my OC and other characters (Steven Universe, Avengers, Clone Wars, Disney, etc.) email me a, because I'm thinking of making a public Instagram with art.

BYE!

-A out

PS.

I'm writing a Clone Wars story y'all will love!

PSS.

I can also edit stories so my OC is not in them, just request!

Finally,

Please support me, I will keep writing if I get enough views and reviews

BYE!

(This time I'm for reals)


	3. Chapter 3

Tony was pacing the room like a caged animal, and it was driving Steve insane. Every now and again Tony would open his mouth, Steve would stiffen, but Tony would continue to pace, and no words would leave his mouth.

Steve looked down, tears burning in his eyes.

"You're an idiot." Steve chuckled, a sad sorrowful sound.

" _Punk."_

"I've been told that by many." Steve murmured. He looked up and met Tony's harsh brown eyes.

"You have the right to remain silent, soldier," Tony said flippantly, a harsh undertone filtering through his tone.

"I'm Captain America, I don't have follow the fifth amendment."

"Technically, you're an American fugitive and you've lost the title of Captain America, so anything you say can and will be used against you." The joke fell flat.

Steve looked up, his eyes wide.

" _Don't I have the fifth amendment right?" Steve questioned innocently, thinking of different escape routes. Ross' men had cornered him in an alley, he was shot in the hip and shoulder. They obviously didn't have orders to kill, and if Steve killed them they'd have more against him. He just had to stall, Nat and Sam would show up soon._

" _This isn't going in the records, Captain. We'll report that you were acting insane, so we had to put you down before you hurt yourself or others." Ross smiled. "It's over."_

 _Steve stiffened, they didn't want justice, they wanted—_

"They wanted the serum, Tony." Tony turned to him.

"Is that supposed to be a joke? They wanted to bring you in, Steve! You broke the law! You. You defended a man who killed MY PARENTS! There are no more excuses for your actions, no dancing around what you— "

"I DID IT FOR A FRIEND! I had to protect him, he's all I had left! It wasn't him. He was tortured for seventy years, Tony!" Tears were building up. "He looked up to Howard, Tony! It's not like—"

Tony was in shock, Steve never exploded.

"We're not gonna fix this are we?" Steve looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

"I get why you're mad, I get why you hate me, I just—take a good look at your allies Tony. You don't deserve to be stabbed in the back." Tony was crying, a small tear slipping down his cheek as he looked at the mess the world was. He left.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Stark?" Ross' voice was flooded with anger. "The Accords state that you—"

"Did you, or did you not, hunt Steven Grant Rogers down for the use of the super soldier serum?"

Silence.

"DID YOU, or did you not, plan to succumb CAPTAIN Steven Grant Rogers to a non-sedated surgery to extract the super soldier serum?"

"Stark I don't—"

"I'll ask one more time, Ross," Tony's voice was deadly calm. "Did you, or did you not, hunt down Steven Grant Rogers to extract the super soldier serum from his body?"

"Yes and I swear to God I'll get it! You and Rogers are going down. Got it. Do—"

Tony hung up the phone. He turned to look at the door leading to Steve's room.

The door opened, a very pale Steve leaning against the doorway.

"I—"

"I get it, okay? I'll try to forgive you and him," Tony refused to say Barnes' name, "but you nearly killed me Steve." Steve flinched. Tony rolled his eyes and laughed. "Get back in bed, old man."

It wasn't alright, but it might be okay.

 **A here! Should I continue or write more, because if I do write more I may add my OC, but I can also write her out, check out my Origin Story for my OC! Pain of the Past.**


	4. Chapter 4

Tony collapsed on his bed, tears building up in his eyes.

 _The weight was crushing, 3,000 tons of rock pushing him down, down, down. The world was spiraling around him, a sob escaping his throat. Tony couldn't breathe, the weight pushing him down. A scream ripped forth as he threw the rock off._

He shook his head, he was safe.

 _He collapsed to the ground. His screen flashed red as Friday tried to warn him. Fires burned around him, Tony wheezed, a tremble ripping through his body._

Tony pushed himself forward, stumbling towards the bathroom.

 _He turned toward the horizon, where explosions danced in the sky._

Tony gasped, biting back a sob. He was trapped. The white tile walls closing in.

" _I don't wanna go! Mr. Stark—"_

"I'm sorry! God, I'm so sorry." Tony's hit the tile with a hard crack.

" _He's my friend."_

" _So was I."_

He couldn't breathe, the world was closing in, he was trapped.

"Tony," a weak voice called. "Tony?" He wasn't safe here, Tony had to leave. He tried pushing himself up but his legs gave out. A bang filled the room as the door caved in.

"Oh God, Tony." He turned and Rogers was there, blue puppy eyes and worry written over his face. Rogers wrapped his hands around Tony's waist, rocking him gently with hushed comforting words. Tony stiffened, he wasn't safe, Rogers was going to leave again, leave him broken on the floor.

" _He's my friend."_

" _So was I."_

Those words echoed in his head like a broken record, destroying the entire life he had built. Tony shuddered, his body writhing with pain as Rogers' shield cut into the arc reactor.

"You're not there, Tony," Rogers' voice was soft like a lilting note at the end of a song. Tony shuddered, not wanting to accept the gesture. He's not safe here. He needs to find Pepper.

Pepper.

" _Please tell me you're not in that floating ship."_

"I'm sorry, Pep," Tony's voice croaked. Rogers hugged him tighter.

"It'll be okay." Tony knew that was a lie. He opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was a pathetic whimper. Rogers hugged him tighter. Tony gasped, he was being choked, he was going to die, Rogers was going to—

"I won't hurt you." Tony chuckled, it hurt to laugh.

"Stop being a softy, soldier."

"Let's get you to bed." Exhaustion leaked into the ex-captain's words.

"Trying to make a move on me, Rogers?" Tony was lifted up.

"There's the snarky billionaire, philosopher—"

"Philanthropist."

"—philanthropist I know and love."

"Oooh! Crushing on me Rogers?" Tony was lowered onto the soft bed. He heard a thud as Rogers collapsed onto the chair next to the bed with a groan.

"Go to sleep, Tony." Rogers' voice was slurred.

"Whatever you say mom." Rogers was already snoring.

 **That's it! This was a request from ! Thanks for pushing me past my limits , this chapter was my first attempt at Tony central, so I hope you enjoy. I take requests, so next I can focus on Thor, Okoye, or maybe Shuri? But any requests are welcome, check out Pain of the Past (written by mwah)**

 **BYE Y'ALL!**


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